While the prognosis for a Mac that doesn’t recognize the internal hard drive might seem poor, several options exist that could help you recover your hard drive and determine if you really have an issue with your hard drive. Macs provide several clues to help you isolate and troubleshoot most hard drive issues. In some cases, you only need to re-establish the startup disk. More extreme problems require you to check the integrity of the hard disk and in some cases install a new hard drive for your system. On desktop Macs you can reset the SMC by shutting down the computer, unplugging the power adapter and waiting 15 seconds before plugging in and powering on the computer. On a MacBook with a removable battery, shut down the computer, unplug it, remove the battery and hold the power button down for five seconds. Release the power button, replace the battery, plug the computer back in and turn the computer on to see if the issue is resolved. On portables with batteries you can’t remove, shut down the computer and plug in the MagSafe adapter. Press and release the “Shift-Control-Option” keys along with the power button simultaneously, release and then start your computer. Writer Bio

Troubleshooting a Mac Computer That Won t Recognize Internal Hard Drive - 92